A top caregiver skill is knowing who to call when. Here are professionals with whom you should become familiar:
Senior Move Managers
Helping a parent pare down to move to to a smaller place? It’s not easy, physically or emotionally—but there are pros who know how to help. Check out the National Association of Senior Move Managers. Their website (nasmm.org) offers both advice and a locator feature to find a nearby service. Or get referrals from geriatric care managers, elder law attorneys and retirement communities whose clients have used such services. Ask if the company is insured and does quality assessments. Also inquire if employees have worker’s compensation insurance and are pre-screened, including a criminal-background check.
Elder Law Attorneys
How can you organize a house transfer to secure family property? Do you want to establish a trust to protect assets and reduce inheritance taxes—or provide for a special-needs child? The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations and others who work with older clients and their families. NAELA’s mission is to establish its members as “the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance and services to enhance the lives of people with special needs and people as they age.”
NAELA’s website has an elder law attorney locator and outlines the types of legal issues for which you might call one. Because elder law is becoming more complex and most elder law attorneys do not specialize in all areas, the website offers guidance in terms of finding the expertise you need. A plus: Elder law attorneys often have a network of social workers, psychologists and other appropriate professionals. Call NAELA at (520) 881-4005 or go to www.naela.com.
Docs Who Make House Calls
They come with their legendary black bags filled with old-fashioned tools of the trade—stethoscope, blood-pressure cuffs, and more. But today’s house-call physicians can also perform sophisticated tests in the home, such as X-rays, blood tests, EKGs, sonograms, and echocardiograms. Homebound patients can get the tests they need without being wrenched out of a sickbed and laboriously transported to a doctor’s office.
